Daily Brief: Tuesday, July 28, 2026

St. Louis news worth your time today — curated by PubDef, with receipts from the archive. Click through for the full stories.

Abortion returns to southwest Missouri after more than two decades without local access

It’s been nearly 21 years since Missourians living in Springfield could access abortion without driving at least a couple hours. That ended Monday. The city’s Planned Parenthood clinic began offering… — Missouri Independent

📼 From the PubDef archive: “MoveOn: The Facts on McCain’s VP Pick” (Aug 2008)

Missouri’s shift to phonics-based reading instruction worries some teachers

It is no secret that Missouri struggles to achieve proficiency in reading. In 2024, 42% of Missouri’s fourth grade students scored below basic, meaning they did not meet the lowest performance… — Missouri Independent

Flood of poll watchers, observers, monitors to descend on midterm voters

WASHINGTON — Political party poll watchers are showing up more and more, usually outside polling places. They have a different mission than the nonpartisan election observers long regarded as… — Missouri Independent

📼 From the PubDef archive: “Of Parks and People (Part 1)” (Aug 2008)

Wash U hosts first-ever Girls Inc. national summit

Girls Inc. made history in St. Louis this week, bringing more than 250 young women from over 30 affiliates across the United States and Canada to Washington University for its first-ever National… — St. Louis American

📼 From the PubDef archive: “Lame Duck Gov makes a few appointments” (Nov 2008)

Kin, conflict and cruelty

“Babe, I’m finna lose my whole family for you”. So went the Instagram post from a 15-year-old East St. Louis teen to her 16-year-old boyfriend, only to be followed by a horrific series of seven… — St. Louis American

Missouri voters should reject Amendments 4 and 5

As the U.S. marks its 250th anniversary, we should be asking more than whether our democracy has endured. We should be asking whether people still have meaningful ways to shape the decisions that… — St. Louis American

📼 From the PubDef archive: “Smith, Hubbard, Allen, & Old North” (Sep 2007)

SLU student joins Aspen advisory group

Faith Townsell, a political science major at Saint Louis University, has been appointed to the Aspen Institute’s Rising Generations Strategy Group. Townsell is one of 40 members selected for the… — St. Louis American

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